AUTHOR SERVICES /// Choosing the right journal for your research / 11
Understand the journal’s audience We’ve mentioned audience briefly above. But it’s worth going into more detail on this topic, as it’s so important. After all, you know better than anyone who it is that you want to read your research, so making sure that the journal’s audience aligns with your expectations is crucial. On the other side, it’s also vital to submit to a journal where you’re confident your research will be relevant to their audience because otherwise, you risk rejection. If you think researchers or practitioners in other fields will be interested in your study, a journal that covers a broad range of topics may be best. On the other hand, if only researchers and practitioners in your field are likely to want to read your study, then a field-specific journal is likely to be a better match.
Review journal affiliations, the editorial board, and previous authors There are a number of factors that will allow you to understand the reach and prestige of a journal. Some key ones to consider at this stage are: Editors and editorial board membership – are the editors and editorial board members well respected in your field? Journal affiliations – is the journal affiliated to a society or association with which you’re familiar? Knowing this can also help you get a better understanding of the journal’s audience. Previous authors – have well-known researchers, academics or practitioners published in the journal before?
Get to know the journal’s policies and procedures Ask yourself the following questions to help you narrow down your search: Do I want to publish my article in a general-interest journal, where it can reach a wide readership? Or will publishing in a specialist journal be a more effective way for my research to reach the right audience? Do I want to publish my work in an international journal, or is my research region-specific?
Every journal has its own set of policies and procedures. These can cover everything from how they conduct peer review to the process for submitting your article. You may well have your own view on which type of peer review you’d prefer for your article. In which case this is an important consideration. Take a look at our peer review resources to get an idea of what options you will need to choose from. In addition to the journal’s own policies, you may need to review the policies of the publishing group. For example, at Taylor & Francis, we have a number of editorial policies that apply across our whole portfolio of journals.
10 / AUTHOR SERVICES /// Choosing the right journal for your research
